Gifts of the Savior and Hush

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In the midst of the busyness...the shopping, the baking, the wrapping, the traveling, the gatherings...I am making an effort to not forget the Savior.

Air Force Man is home to celebrate with us.  We are expecting a call from our dearly missed Missionary Son, Miguel...As we immerse ourselves in family, love and worship of our Savior, we will celebrate the greatest love story ever told and find gratitude for the gifts from our Father in Heaven:  the Gift of Birth, The gift of Peace, the Gift of Love and the Gift of Eternal Life.

For the next two weeks, I will be celebrating and relishing in the quietness for Christ is found in those peaceful moments.   The words of Oh Little Town of Bethlehem come to mind, "How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given, for God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven."   May God bless you with his Peace and love.

Merry Christmas

I will be Hush-ed, Until next year...

Miguel's Missionary Moment

Zion and I before I was transferred

12/9/2013

"Hey!!!!

This week has been fun.  We got a lot done and played some bball in the ghetto again! Loving life!!!! We talked to this one guy the other night who was telling us about how when he was born it was in the middle of a hurricane and he was a mile under sea level and how they were driving to the hospital and the water was over the trees it was funny! At the end he was like "I gotta warn you boys, I'm a little intoxicated" (as if we couldnt smell it) hahahaah I was laughing so hard for the rest of the night.  I kept telling my companion,  "I better warn you, I'm a little intoxicated."

We had dinner with the Songster family and taught a quick lesson about faith.  They have like no religious background. It was sweet and the spirit was really strong. The awkward thing was they have two 19 year old twins, and we felt like we were being set up, but we had a great lesson. We found another 12 new investigators this week.  The only problem here is getting them to have a follow up lesson.  We took an investigator named, Johnnie, to the Christmas broadcast last night, and she was in tears.  It was sweet, and a member had brought a friend and introduced us it was so cool! ummmm yeah I don't have much else to say just working and stuff.  Gotta go play basketball!!! 

12/16/2013

Hey!!!!

This week has been pretty fun.  It has been raining a lot but still not very cold.  This week we have been doing a lot of door to door visits.  When I came into the area they had just baptized someone and didn't have really anyone else to teach.  Right now things are really picking up! We have found 40 new investigators in the bast 3 weeks.  The only problem is that it is hard to find people who will keep further appointments and progress. We are really starting to sift the wheat from the tarse lately. 

We met this Chinese lady last night, and she said we were angles.  She is the only one who believes in Christ in her famiy  and is going through some really hard stuff lately.  She seemed excited to be taught. Then, we met this girl who is 24 and has 3 kids and her biggest fear is being separated from them.  We testified of eternal families and she invited us back. 

We met some thugs that the other Elders invited to the Ward Christmas party.  It was funny because they were totally out of place, but they loved it because of the free food haha. They told us they would be at Church but they didn't show.  

Oh we have had some really noisy neighbors move in down stairs.  Last night they literally screamed at each other for like an hour.  So I went down and talked to them, and they were quiet for like 15 minutes then screaming again. So that was fun!  Then it happened again at 5:30 in the morning, and my companion slept through it.  I just sat there listening haha. So I think I am getting way better at writing emails. That is all I've got today, love u all!!

Hamer out!

Purity and Nature

The trees and bushes are heavy with fog....Pregnant with it....White frost covers their branches  delicate...It is breathtaking...Beautiful...White...Pure...Unblemished...  It's as if nature is preparing.  Getting ready for the coming of the Christ child celebration.  He, in his purity, came to earth for us.  Lived and died for us.  So that we, the impure, may live.

In the hush of the thick fog, the quietness envelopes me.  As I look out my window and soak up the beauty of nature right now, I am grateful for my Savior and His coming.  We are waiting...

Remembering the Savior and {MMB}

A recent article I wrote has posted on MMB today.  Please pop over and read my thoughts on Remembering the Savior this Christmas.

As always your comments and support are most appreciated.  

 

A Christmas Tour

As Christmas draws near, I join with other blogger in sharing pictures of my home and of our Christmas.  I'm not over the top creative and fancy...Just decorations that we have had for years, that hold memories of Christmas' past.

A white fluffy kitty sleeping on a red blanket.  

He decorates my home...

A cozy plus to snuggle up and read a good Christmas book

or my favorite magazine.

Cute Nativity made by a friend...

Did you think to pray?

My favorite Nativity, a Willow Tree.

It is light up by lovely light and looks amazing at night.

A Snowman collection.  I have a fetish.

Christmas books

 

The Call

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This year for Christmas, the best gift I am personally receiving is a phone call from my son.  When my son left for serving his mission in Georgia a year and a half ago, he did so knowing that he could only call home twice a year...Christmas and Mother's Day.  This isn't because the Church is being restrictive, it is because it helps them to remain focused and not be distracted by the daily goings on and the things of world.  He could choose to break the rule...but he doesn't.  He knows blessings come from obedience.  So for Christmas, we get to talk to him for an hour!  I am beside myself excited!!

Here is a picture of our Skype session last year at Christmas.

What gift are you looking forward to most?

Christmas Books

I love books.  Nothing to hide there...From my most used card to my Kindle app, I'm a happy mama.  But, at Christmastime, I love good old fashioned Christmas story books.  I've been collecting here and there for a while.  I figure this is NOT simplifying, but they are so lovely and the stories so uplifting.  My particular favorite?  Snowmen at Night.  I seriously laughed out loud in the books store when I read it.  But, then I do love snowmen.

Some of the books are:

The Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp

The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck

 The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans

The Joy of Believing by Ardeth G. Kapp

Favorite Christmas Stories by Laura M. Hawkes

Christmas Penhaligons' Scented Treasury of Verse and Prose

The Christmas Sweater for children by Glenn Beck

When Joy Came a Golden Book

Mr. Finnegan's Giving Chest by Dan Farr

When Jesus Was Born in Bethlehem ~ Painting by Joseph Brickey

The Littlest Angel by Charles Tazewell

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss

The Annual Snowman's Ball by Mark Kimball Moulten

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner

Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore

and then, of course, there is my compilation of 24 Days of Christmas

You can follow the link for your own free copy here.

What Christmas books have become favorites and classics in your home?

 

Transfers, Basketball and the Ghetto {Miguel's Missionary Moment}

November 25, 2013

"Hey!!

So I'm getting transferred, to Athens during football season, UGA is in my area! Crazy, right!!! I'm sad, though, Elder Hansen has been one of my favorite companions so I was hoping to stay with him not in the area though, I'm going to the ghetto, so I'm pumped haha!! This week was pretty cool, we have been teaching a kid named Andre, and we took him a church tour this week.  There was a super strong spirit by the baptismal font! Today we are passing him off to the young single adult Elders. We also met this guy named Bobby and he invited us in because we told him a Prophet was on the earth.  He invited us in and said he has never heard that.  He feels like the world is in a haze with religion and invited us back.  It was sweet!!! Not much else. By the way, if you wanna send me anything for Christmas just money is fine!

"The Lord does not care what you have done but where you are willing to go"

Elder Hamer out!"

December 2, 2013

"Well new area!!!

It is sweet! We live in Athens and there are so many projects and ghettos! I love it!! This week we found 14 new investigators! There are so many humble people, it is awesome. On Friday we were going door to door in these projects, and there were a bunch of like 20 year old guys playing basketball. So I went and I asked if I could get in, they were like "we always let Mormons play" ahahahaha But I went up on this tall guy and scored on him and accidentally knocked him down.  All the other kids started yelling "that white boy is too big for you!" It was legit! But this week we met this funny guy named Casper.  He was baptized in Atlanta.  He was a super, funny old black guy and talks really fast and mumbles.  He is cool.  We committed him to start coming to church again, and he was super excited.  We also, on Thanksgiving, met this family who has Mormon relatives, and blessed their home.  The mom and 2 daughters were down to read the Book of Mormon,  but the dad didn't commit.  We are praying for something to go well with them.  They are the Songster family, it was cool. umm hmmm what else! Oh I got transferred away from my best friend Elder Fowers haha, but I don't have much else to say. I was reading president Monson's talk from conference this morning and he asked a question we should all ask,  "Shall I Falter, Or Shall I Finish?"   I thought it was a sweet quote!

Hamer out!"

Book Club and Treats

Last month I attended my first book club meeting.  Who wouldn't enjoy a night out talking about books and eating treats.  When they asked for volunteers for the next meeting place, no one raised their hand.  Then there was me, venturing out into new territory, trying to make friends and engage in community...I timidly answered, "I'll do it..." So this week I held the book club at my house...

The book of the month was Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg.

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I'm not much for writing reviews.  I'm afraid I'll reveal too much.  However, it is truly a lovely story, and a quick easy read.  You won't be sorry for having read it.  I was able to finish it on my car trip to Salt Lake.  It was written by the same author who wrote Fried Green Tomatoes.  I never read that book, but I saw the movie.

Christmas treats and books = a fun evening.

Have you read any fun Christmas books this Season?

 

Christmas and Minimalism and {MMB}

Yesterday I wrote a post over at MMB on Christmas and Minimalism.

As always, I love and appreciate your comments and support.

Missionaries, Wheelies and Frustrations {Miguel's Missionary Moment}

November 11, 2013

Well this week has been good!!!!!!!!!!

 

At the beginning of the week we got dropped by 4 investigators!!!! Then a part member family we were going to teach decided they would prefer sisters missionaries!!! Awesome! I guess we are the reject set of Elders in a ward with 2 sets of Sisters! It stinks! But, at the end of the week, we met this kid named Andre.  We were walking by and he was talking to his girlfriend.  We were gonna walk right by but it popped into my head that there are no coincidences.  So we walked up and he said we could teach him the next day!  So we went by and taught him the first lesson.  Now he is asking about baptism and we are teaching him again tonight! He is cool, but he couldn't make it to church sadly! 

We also met this thug guy, and he was totally not interested.  But, I asked if we could come back anyway, and he was like yeah tomorrow at 5, so we went and we met his brother who is about to be deployed tomorrow and he knows a Mormon in his Marine platoon.  We are teaching him tonight as well! so that is cool too!! ummmmmmmmmmmmm but not much else other than look how cool Elder Hansen, Elder Fowers and me are!!!!!

 

Hamer out!!!

November 18, 2013

Hey!!!!!

Well this week was interesting! We had a lot of good plans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And they all failed!!! Yup, that's life as a missionary!! Andre dropped us and decided against baptism! We went back by to visit him and testified and he decided to let us come back by and teach him again tonight!!!! Satan did not defeat us...yet!!!! 

This week was seriously pretty hard.  I'm at the point that I feel like I have tracked every subdivision and we are really struggling to find! It's okay...this will probably be my last full week in this area as next week are transfers. This week we were knocking on doors and I think I set my mission record of most unanswered doors like 40 in a row.  It was crazy, like no one was home! Then we met this super nice guy and he loved us and thought we were amazing.  Then he introduced us to his really attractive 20 year old daughter and said, "Honey these are amazing young men", and we stood their awkwardly and were like "we'll see you later." So that was awkward!!!! 

This morning I was messing with my companion and he shoved me and I fell over our coffee table and killed my shin!!! It hurts so bad! but hmm what else happened!?!?! ummmmm oh yeah I'm getting super good at riding wheelies down the road!! But yeah I'm out of stuff to say!!!

Hamer out!

A Christmas Kick Off

Right after Thanksgiving, we piled in the car, the three of us, and headed down to Salt Lake City.  We had a free hotel stay that would be expiring and the thought of a little get a way was just too enticing. You know how I mentioned "Make Christmas an Experience"?

I thought this was the perfect time to do something we had never done before.  We decided to go see all the beautiful Christmas lights at Temple Square.  Temple Square is sort of a tourist stop for people curious about the LDS church as well as a wonderful place for it's members to visit.  There were many, MANY people who had the same idea.  I joked that it was more crowded than Disneyland, and I suspect that it was...That's a good thing, don't you think?  People crowding in for the Savior instead of the Mouse?

What a fantastic way to kick off the Christmas season than with Lights, carols and nativities from around the world.  I was filled with the spirit of love for my family and the spirit of Christmas.  It was enough...

What have you done to jumpstart the Christmas Season?